Normally when someone makes a summer bucket list it looks like this:
*Picnic in the park
*Go to the beach
*Ride bikes to the local ice cream parlor
....
This summer my bucket list is less concrete and more conceptual.
RELAX. REFRESH. REGROUP.
Entering into the summer, I was over-extended. Worn out. Juggling a lot of balls.
To be honest, this struggle has been going on for years now, and it seems hard to break the cycle in this crazy, fast-paced world.
BUT this summer, I am trying to do something about that.
My intentions and hope for the summer are for me to get to a spot where I feel confident and strong heading back into fall with a new school year full of demands and decisions.
FIRST, I am planning to RELAX more. I need time just to sit and do nothing. Time to watch the British Baking Show with my family. Permission to wake up late some days, take naps, and sit and smell the roses. Time to play games with my kids, go for walks with my husband, and ENJOY the summer.
SECOND, I am planning to REFRESH. As I stated, I desire to be more confident and strong and more at peace as I head back into the fall. I need strength - spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical. I am prioritizing Bible times, breaking away from the snare of social media, planning for healthier eating and physical activity, and continually trying to make decisions that help me focus on taking care of myself and my household and living the life God has created for me.
THIRD, I am planning to REGROUP, to reorganize and review my home and life. I am taking care of projects around the house that are hard to get to throughout the year - starting with painting our kitchen cabinets, which I am currently in the middle of doing. I need to file away last year's school and plan for the next year. I need to make a good plan for the classes I teach at our homeschool group and church and get teachers and curriculum established for the girls' groups I oversee at church. There is plenty for me to do to feel prepared and renewed for the new year's duties.
I read something on Instagram today, and it fits the bill as the desire for my children and for myself.
"We tend to think that our children need a summer full of activities. What they really need is some down time, family time, and maybe even a little bit of boredom."
This is my prayer for myself and my household, that we will have some down time and some connecting time -- time just to sit and appreciate life, time to regroup and feel ready for what lies ahead.